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4. Run Bravely

“Don’t be afraid to go out too hard,” McCandless says about Jones’ philosophy. If you’re in search of a big-race performance or a PR, it starts in practice. Practice running brave before the race.

“Learn to hurt in workouts,” Jones says, “and you’ll be able to hurt more in races.”

In some workouts, Jones’ instructions include six words: “Hands on knees in the end.” Translation: This will be a really hard workout.

The idea of going out too hard in some workouts is in building yourself back up afterward and gaining the confidence to do the same in races. You can’t do anything in a race you haven’t practiced first, so it’s important to play with fire in some workouts and know what it feels like to get burned. You might fall to pieces and barely finish the workout, or you might surprise yourself and destroy the limits you previously thought existed. You’ll never know until you try, and Jones believes in testing your limits throughout the year.

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